02x05 - Grizzly Bait

[bunniefuu]

Did these homesteaders
actually see a bear?

This grizzly bear has been known
to k*ll horses and cows.

Matt: if there was a bear right
here, what are you gonna do?

Probably play dead.

What, you mean, like,
lay down on the --

Why do you --
how do you play dead?

Wow.

They have a massive amount
of livestock

And a grizzly on her doorstep.

♪♪

That is like being
in a death sandwich.

Matt:
I got one question...

Who's the best shot?

Narrator:
marty raney's been building
homesteads for 40 years.

He's spent his life passing on
his homesteading skills.

Marty:
I was raised off-grid.

I've built a life and a family

In the toughest place
on earth, alaska.

And I've taught my kids
everything I know.

Narrator: daughter misty has
raised and slaughtered animals

And grown her own food
since she was a child.

Misty: a homestead needs to be
nurtured every day.

You get out what you put in.

Narrator:
son matt spent 12 years

As a guide and hunter in alaska.

Matt: I have the utmost respect
for wildlife.

Hunting is a privilege
and a necessity.

Narrator: in the last decade,


Have moved off-grid.

Misty: we're in the middle
of nowhere.

Narrator: but the wilderness
is a tough place to survive.

I am so afraid
we might end up dead.

Narrator: this year,

Tens of thousands
of homesteads will fail.

Man:
this threat is absolutely real.

We could lose this place
at any moment.

Raney family, we need your help.

Marty: for those brave enough
to embark on this lifestyle,

We're here to help them
overcome the challenges

And fulfill that dream.

My résumé?
I'll show it to you right now.

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Marty: man, I'm getting a total
flashback right now.

The last time that I came
through this area

Of british columbia

Was 43 years ago.

It was snowing
like crazy.

Your mom
was totally soaked.

When we got to the camp,
she looked at that place

We were gonna live in,
and guess what she did?

-Started crying.
-She broke down crying.

That was her first day,
her first day of being married.

And she's never
cried since.



[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys traveled
nearly 2,000 miles

Around the gulf of alaska
to buckhorn, british columbia.

Here, the temperatures regularly
plummet to minus-30 degrees,

And sub-arctic winters last
for more than half the year.

♪♪

Abundant moose, elk,
and deer herds are prey

To north america's
most fearsome predator...

The grizzly bear,

Making this one of the toughest
homesteading landscapes

In north america.

Uh, look ahead.

There's, like -- the road ends,

And we have
a really steep ditch.

♪♪

Let's look it out --
let's look it over.

♪♪

Did these homesteaders
actually see a bear recently?

To my knowledge, they have
a problem bear

On their homestead.

[ Sighs ]

See that clearing
right through there?

-Yeah.
-The homestead's right there.

Are we going
through the woods?

I mean, the only thing
I have is my .338.

Grab it.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
the raneys have been called
to save a freezing homestead

Sitting in the middle
of dangerous grizzly territory.

Being off-grid,
we can't just vacuum.

Narrator: one and
a half years ago,

Mill worker todd
followed his partner, nicki,

Out of the suburbs and off-grid

To a remote patch of land

With her 22-year-old
daughter, darienne.

[ Vocalizing ]

This is our dream.

I'm living in the country.

I'd live here
over the city any day.

[ Vocalizing ]

Todd:
I took one look at her,

And I knew right there
she was the one.

Narrator: they built
their homestead from scratch,

Hooked up a generator,

And shipped in a large stock
of animals for breeding.

We've got eight goats,
three pigs.

Nicki: we have three
riding horses, three cows.

Our goal is total
self-sustaining, self-feeding

Without the help of anyone.

Narrator: but with nearly


On 160 acres
of rugged, frozen terrain,

The family are struggling.

Nicki: oh [bleep]

The weather here in the winter

Is at least minus-30.

And it freezes
absolutely everything.

Narrator: without a well,
all their water

Is trucked in from civilization.

♪♪

Narrator: in the chaos, the
homestead remains unfinished.

Worse still, the family
and their animals are now prey

To a lethal neighbor.

We have grizzlies
on our property.

[ Dog barking ]

♪♪

Darienne: yeah.

Narrator: mom nicki is risking
it all to keep her animals safe.

Darienne: and it'd be cold,
it'd be minus 15 probably.

And my mom will go
outside at night

Without letting anybody know

Because she's going
to check on our animals.

♪♪

I live in fear one day

That that bear's gonna
get ahold of our livestock

Or one of us.

I mean, there's nothing
to stop him

From k*lling everything
we've got in one night.

[ Bear roars ]

Marty:
look at all these animals.

Misty:
I know, they have everything.

Those are some serious pigs.

I'm not surprised to find
somebody out tending animals.

Thank you so much
for coming.

-Todd.
-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, sir. Hello.
-Nice to meet you.

Misty: out of all the homesteads
we've ever visited,

You, by far,
have the most livestock.

-Yeah.
-I mean, this is intense.

It's a lot of work
for them.

They take care of the animals
most of the time,

But I've had
to go back to work

So I could help pay
the feed bill.

So you're not here, right?

That's pretty much
the way it is, yeah.

It kills me every time I leave
the farm to go to work.

You know, the male ego
is to protect, right?

I can't do that
from 30 miles away.

-We're lost.
-Yeah.

And we're just keeping our heads
barely above water.

How about me and you
go take a walk around?

Sounds good.

Narrator: in seven days,

The raneys move on
to their next job.

All fixes must pay
for themselves or save lives.

You ready?

Marty's been building
in sub-arctic conditions

For over four decades.

He is no stranger
to the off-grid fight

Against the freeze.

This is about 330 gallons.

-Yeah.
-Okay.

How many of these a week?

Todd: four.

When you get here,
it's froze right here

And you can't even
get the water out.

So you have to thaw that.

This little teeny,
cheesy bottle...

Is the only thing
that I see

That's keeping this homestead
going right now.

[ Laughs ]

When you live in a cold climate,
it's tough

Even if you live
in a city, okay?

Now imagine you live out here
in the middle of nowhere.

Your cold problem...

Just got serious.

Narrator: with so many animals
on the homestead,

Misty is increasingly worried.

Their livestock has a risk
of being frozen to death.

But they're also endangering
the homesteaders' lives.

Misty:
this feels like alaska.

And I know you have
a lot of predators here.

And they're here because
you have a lot of livestock.

I'm just gonna ask you
a very hard question.

At this point,
are you willing

To get rid of
any of the larger livestock?

You have a ton of horses
and cattle.

No.

We can't get rid
of any of them?

No.

Okay.

Misty: it costs a lot of money
to feed them,

And it's a lot of work
to keep them alive,

Especially through
really harsh winters.

And she has a grizzly
on her doorstep.

That is like being
in a death sandwich.

[ Crow caws ]

[ Bear roars ]

Narrator: matt is with darienne.

He wants to know
how prepared the family are

For a grizzly attack.

Matt:
I'm worried. I'm definitely
worried for you guys' safety.

Yeah, I am, too, because my mom,
she'll hear the dogs barking,

And she'll go outside
without letting anybody know.

-Really?
-Yeah.

That could be dangerous,
because one swipe from the paw,

Even just a friendly one,

Could change somebody's
life forever.

-Okay.
-What if you saw a bear...

Right here...



What are you gonna do?

Play dead.

That's wild.
What, you mean,

-Like, lay down on the --
-just like this.

How do you play dead?

You cover the back
of your head

And curl up in a ball.

Where did you learn this?

They teach you it
at school.

Oh, man. Here.
Let's get up.

You're -- you're starting
to make me feel bad.

I mean, as much as it takes,
you have to stand your ground

And just try to make yourself
as dominant as possible.

Just be like, "hey!

Hey, bear, hey!

What are you doing?"

[ Dog barking ]

Matt:
living in this environment,

I mean, if you don't know
how to conduct yourselves

With these animals,

Then you're chances for survival
are severely diminished.

[ Crow caws ]

♪♪

Narrator: if this homestead
has any chance of surviving,

Marty must find a way

To stop the water supply
from freezing.

Obviously, this looks
like trusses.

Yeah.

Narrator: a year ago,
todd acquired enough timber

To start work on a pole barn.

Marty:
something's obviously started.

We got the poles sunk
in the ground,

And then
the cash flow went.

Eventually, we were gonna
put a blacksmith's shop

-With a forge in here.
-A what?

A blacksmith's shop.

-Who's the blacksmith?
-Well...

-Me.
-Oh, really?

It's the only talent
I have.

I can't sing and dance,
so I pound on steel.

-Made any money at it?
-Oh, yeah.

So instead of working


-Away from the homestead...
-Right here.

...worrying about the girls
and the predators,

You could be standing
right here with your anvil

And your hammer
and a forge.

Yes, sir.

Marty:
what I'm thinking about is
something enclosed that's heated

That we can address
this frozen water problem.

-Yeah.
-What if we took that truck

That comes back from town

-With that water cube...
-Yep.

And we backed it
in the blacksmith's shop?

-Yeah.
-All right?

Oh, that could work.

Oh, man.

That's got character.

Smell like christmas?

Love it.

I'll tell you
why I'm up for it.

Because I think
you deserve it.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

I think you deserve it.

Boy, here I am, 50 years old,
crying like a baby.

But this is tears of joy.

It's gonna help keep me at home,
protecting the family.

It's gonna take the load
off of everybody.

Marty: this guy got the right
guy to come to this homestead,

'Cause I've lived 40 years

Below zero.

Narrator: using the existing
posts and 13 trusses

To form a roof,

Marty will build
a blacksmith shop

Big enough to house
a ton of frozen water

And a custom-built forge

To heat the entire space.

Misty must find a way
to protect the family's

Huge stock of animals
from the harsh environment.

But for matt,
the deadly grizzly bear

Is still a big problem.

Nicki, I'm just gonna say it.
I'm sorry,

But the way you're doing things
right now is dangerous,

And your plan is terrible,

And your family is worried,

And it has to change
from this minute forward.

I got one question.

Who's the best shot here?

That would be me.

Okay. I need you to help me
come up with this plan.

I mean, right now
in this homestead, nicki,

She's not gonna change.

So we need darienne to really
take that active role,

Because when you choose
to do nothing,

That's when the worst happens.

Narrator: coming up...

[ Marty whistles ] lift!

Narrator: marty must hand-build
a blacksmith's shop

In just six days.

And the families unite
to fight the freeze.

-It's wiggling.
-Just keep doing that!

Narrator: in british columbia,
the raneys have been called

To a homestead
stalked by a k*ller grizzly

And struggling against
arctic conditions.

Marty:
right now in alaska,

The water coming into
the cabin was frozen,

And the sewer going out
of the cabin is frozen.

I know a little bit
about cold water

And the problems
of freezing temperatures.

Narrator:
now with only six days left,

Matt is on bear watch...

While marty's already
started building

An off-grid blacksmith's shop

Using timber left over
from todd's abandoned project.

Get matt and head
this way, please!

I'm right here.

Marty:
lift! Oh, brother, go!

Narrator: with no heavy
lifting equipment,

The 200-pound trusses

Must be hoisted
to roof height by hand.

Going up.

-Got it?
-Yeah.

Marty: darienne!

Climb up here!

I'm gonna have her drive a nail
and put her first truss in.

♪♪

♪♪

You all right?

Darienne:
yeah... [ Laughs ]

Honey, are you afraid
of heights?

-Yeah.
-I didn't know that.

You okay?

Well, I'm feeling
pretty nauseous.

Hold onto that beam
and walk down here.

I scampered up the ladder
because, honestly,

Marty scares me
more than heights do.

Matt: oh, we've dealt
with this before.

We even visited people that had
serious fears of heights.

And you getting over it
can actually help your family

And, more importantly,
your mom.

Help me with this ladder.

Narrator: matt hatches a plan
to help darienne

Conquer her fear of heights

And defend the homestead
against predators.

And if there was, let's say,
a bear here, I would rather

Be high enough away
from that bear

Where I'd have time
to make a decision --

and be able
to see it coming.

Yeah, if there was a bear
right here,

I would definitely much
rather be up there.

I mean, like, if there was
a deck right here or something,

You know what I mean,
you would be up high,

And you'd be looking
at that bear going,

"Yoo-hoo!"

Narrator:
matt will build a bear stand



With 270-degree visibility,

Providing a safe place
for darienne --

The best shot in the family --
to defend the homestead.

If you're the best shot,
you're gonna have to be able

To get up on that platform

And be able to have
the concentration

To be able to take it.

I want to get over
my fear of heights

So that
I could take the burden

Off my mom's shoulders

So that she won't
have to go outside

And put her life
on the line.

♪♪

Narrator: with all the timber

Being used on
the blacksmith workshop,

Matt must use
natural spruce logs.

But the only logs big enough
to build the tower

Are on the other side
of the homestead,

A 1/4 mile away.

And the one vehicle
powerful enough to tow them

Is currently
frozen solid in the ice.

It's gonna be hard enough
building the thing.

But if we're gonna have to go
a 1/4 mile out of the way

To have to drag
these things by hand,

It's gonna be brutal.

♪♪

Holy smokes, man.

This thing is dug in.

It doesn't look like
it's gonna haul anything.

This thing is frozen in hard.

We got to free
some of that ice up.

Who wants to start?

♪♪

Narrator: their sole option

Is to try
and dig the tractor out by hand.

Grab a chipping implement!
Let's go!

Everybody, all hands on deck!

♪♪

Misty:
it's getting dark.

All aboard the crazy train.

[ Imitates train whistle
blowing ]

[ Chuckles ]

Narrator: after hours
of chipping at the ice,

They've made little progress,

But marty has come up
with a plan "b."

Marty: all right, get me
the biggest log

Out of the pile, please,
and head over here.

Hands on it!

-Is everybody ready?
-One, two, three!

There we go.

We're gonna use a fulcrum
and a big log

To try to pop this thing
out of the ice.

Lift!

Just push it in, mist.

♪♪

One!

One, two...

Are we doing anything?

It's wiggling.

Keep rocking it.
Every movement helps!

♪♪

Just keep doing that!

[ Ice cracking ]

[ All cheering ]

-Did it go?!
-Yes!

-Whoa, whoa, whoa.
-Slide something underneath,

-A log under it!
-Okay, get on the log!

Narrator: it's been entombed
in ice for three months,

But the homestead's tractor
is finally free.

Anything!
Throw the axe under there!

Put my chainsaw under there!

-Anything!
-[ Screams, laughs ]

Those sticks!

-All right, jump on there!
-Drive it out, man!

Get it, man!

[ Gears grinding ]

♪♪

Matt: oh, man.

All right. I'm thinking
that gear box is froze.

That's what
it sounds like.

-The tractor's free.
-Yep.

But we can't get
our running gear to work.

Misty: I'm super bummed.

We're here a really limited time
to help this family,

And we spent all this time
getting this tractor free.

It's free,
but the gear box is frozen.

It's frozen.

Narrator: one day gone,
and matt is still no closer

To getting the logs
for his bear stand.

The family are still at
the mercy of the hungry grizzly.

♪♪

Coming up...

[ Crying ]
I feel like a complete failure.

Narrator: ...tragedy strikes
the homestead.

Misty: you're in over your head,
and when that happens,

This will happen.

Narrator: and misty takes
control with an emergency build.

This farrowing pen needs
to be built yesterday.

Narrator: in british columbia,

The raneys are trying to save
a homestead under threat

From a lethal grizzly
and arctic conditions.

A blacksmith's shop to beat
the cold is under way.

Misty's creating portable
grazing pads for the livestock,

But the bear stand
matt is building has stalled

Till the frozen tractor
is on the move.

Look right there.

There's stacks and stacks
of logs

That we could drag over
for construction.

I mean, we need the tractor
to be in operation.

It's that simple.

Grab that stovepipe.

Narrator: marty's trying
an age-old alaskan macgyver

To see if he can
start the tractor.

Marty: we got a weed burner
and a stovepipe.

If there's any moisture
in any gearbox or bearings,

It's frozen.

The idea is to thaw
some gears out.

You work in the oil fields
in the extreme arctic

Of canada or the u.s.,

And equipment freezes up.

And it holds up
a billion-dollar operation.

And the only thing that will
fix it is this exact tool.

If we don't get this running,
we're gonna be pulling

Those logs out of the forest
with our backs.

[ Ducks quacking ]

[ Goats bleating ]

♪♪

[ Dog barking ]

Darienne:
yeah! [ Clapping ]

Nicki:
no way! They got it?

Whoo-hoo!

What is your dad riding on?

Misty:
what is he standing on?

I think he's standing
on the log.

Yes! Come on for a ride!
Come on!

A couple summers ago,
my dad worked out of town.

The entire summer,
we didn't see him.

And we were all swimming around
in the swimming pool

With all the kids,
the entire family.

In walks my dad.

And, boom, he jumps
in the pool fully clothed.

The man knows
how to make an entrance.

[Bleep]

Marty:
well, we got you some logs.

Are those long enough?

Matt:
this is perfect, man.

All right, what's next?

Narrator: construction on the
bear stand can finally begin.

First job, shaving the bark

And then hoisting each
of the 200-pound posts upright.

Getting yourself off
the ground and up high --

I mean, we're talking
about great height,

Taller than a bear is
even standing --

Is gonna make it a lot safer.

And you're gonna have
more time, you know?

You're not gonna be
contemplating, "do I run,

Or do I crumple
into a ball and play dead?"

Very good, guys. Very good.

♪♪

I think that's good, actually.

♪♪

Darienne's fear of heights
is real.

And I know that we can't
solve this overnight.

But this is a really good step,

And even if she just
climbs up one rung,

She's that much closer
to conquering this fear.

[ Bear growls, owl hoots ]

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

Narrator: 7:00 a.m.



Tragedy has struck
the homestead's livestock.

Overnight, one of the sows

Unexpectedly gave birth
in the open air.

Freezing conditions have k*lled
eight newborn piglets.

Nicki:
this one's still limp.

This one didn't die
that long ago.

[ Sniffles ]

It was minus-15 last night.

A new mom, first-time mom.

Where?

What happened?
[ Chuckles dryly ]

Nicki:
she had babies last night.

And they all froze,

Or she laid on them.

Where?

And this is
the lone survivor.

And it was hypothermic,

But it's starting
to move around in that now.

Oh, geez.

The dogs were barking,
and I came out

To see if I could
see anything.

And I heard...

Piglet noises.

So this is the last one.
[ Sniffles ]

[ Crying ]
I have nine babies.

[ Sniffles ]

Misty: it is gonna be a miracle
if this one survives.

So everybody just needs
to brace themselves for that.

You got knocked out.

And now the other pig looks like
she's starting to bag up.

Nicki, they don't have
a farrowing pen, though.

And it's the dead
of wintertime.

I think she's gonna have
the babies right away.

Oh, man.

[ Coughs ]

You know, these are the lessons

That nicki is gonna learn
the hard way.

If you don't have a plan
and you're not prepared,

You're gonna learn
the hard way.

Narrator: in british columbia,
a homestead has hit rock bottom.

Last night, eight newborn
piglets perished

In the freezing cold.

Nicki: I don't ever want
to go through that again.

I really don't.

♪♪

Hey, dad.

Narrator: with another
heavily pregnant sow

Exposed to the elements,

It's not just
the frozen water supply

That desperately needs warmth
from the new blacksmith shop.

We arrived too late
with this first sow.

And on my watch, the second sow
is gonna have a proper setup.

We have to build a farrowing pen
inside this structure, dad.

Can you imagine being here,
and 20 piglets die?

-I can't do it.
-That isn't gonna happen.

So we're in a real time crunch
to get this farrowing pen done.

Narrator: misty has until
nightfall to build a new pen.

But marty is concerned she
is cutting dangerous corners.

-Mist, mist, mist!
-Mine aren't square.

They're squaring that sheet pen
with that 1/16-inch.

Yes, dad.

Hey, don't -- don't --
hey, listen to me.

Yes, dad.

You'll only nail yourself
one time,

-Trust me.
-I've never done it!

♪♪

One time in the arctic,
the middle of nowhere,

Building a wall.

I held my hand right here
on a 2x4, icy.

I was going boom, boom, boom.

The g*n, I hit this,
the g*n popped up, and I went...

That nail went all the way
through my hand.

A guy said --
the first guy I came to,

He said, "oh!

A tough guy would just grab the
head of that and pull it out."

So I grabbed my hammer,
and I put it on there...

And I was flown to
the hospital 600 miles away,

And I let a doctor do it.

Narrator: with the farrowing pen
under way,

Misty heads back into the house

To check on
the surviving piglet.

How's it going?

How'd it go?

Did he -- did he survive?

He didn't survive.

No, he didn't.

This is the worst experience
I think we've ever had here.

You only make this mistake
one time.

Guarantee you,
from this point forward,

There will never be this much
loss on this homestead.

Narrator: as the day
draws to a close,

It's all hands on deck

To complete the insulated
farrowing pad...

We're gonna get this place
really nice and toasty.

Narrator: ...ready to stop
the homestead's remaining sow

Giving birth in the snow.

-Perfect.
-That keep a piglet warm?

Yeah.
That's good.

-Let's go.
-We had to get this done

For this sow in this moment.

Obviously, we had to make
a really hard push.

We had to get
everybody involved.

And it was hard.

It was a lot of hard work.

But this is gonna be
a really warm, safe structure.

Here we go, honey.

Narrator: a makeshift
herding box helps transport

The 400-pound
sow to her new home.

-You got it?
-Yep.

Okay. Okay, she just
lifted my side up.

So let's not have
any shenanigans there.

Good piggy.

-Good?
-Yep. It's going through.

-Okay.
-Going through.

-Come on, sweetheart.
-Wait.

-Can you lift up on that side?
-Oh, careful, careful!

-Easy, easy, easy.
-Good girl!

-Take it at her pace.
-She's in!

[ Laughter ]

-Yay!
-Whoo!

-Good job, man!
-She's safe!

She's safe!

This long-term is
for all the livestock here.

Now they're set up to where they
actually have a livestock pen.

And now no matter what happens,
she's safe. The babies are safe.

And today was a really good day.

We needed that.
[ Chuckles ]

♪♪

Narrator:
there's just two days left.

The bear stand nears completion.

The pregnant sow is safe
in her farrowing pen.

And the blacksmith workshop
is almost finished.

Now marty must provide the shop
with a heat source,

Or all his work will be in vain.

I have this forge
design in my head.

We're gonna build one
organically

Right from the homestead.

One forge coming up.

So what I'm thinking is
we'll take our brake drum,

We'll drop it in,
recessing that barrel,

And it will be this high.

Is that a good working height?
That's a perfect working height.

Okay, that part's done.

Thinking about some kind
of a shroud on that.

Now, what do you
got over here?

Oh, some old
washing machine parts.

What in the heck are you
gonna do with that?

Follow me.

It's gonna be
one of a kind, buddy.

We'll set this thing
over the top.

Then we'll cut this out...

So that you'll have
a contained

-Working forge area.
-Okay.

Right, and this
will capture the heat,

Which we can run a chimney off.

-I love it.
-By the way, this is as close

As I've ever gotten
to a washing machine.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: marty's plan is to use
a recovered brake drum

As the forge's fire pit.

A washing machine drum
will form the hood.

And an oil drum
will act as the base.

To circulate air
through the forge,

He will use a fan
to raise the temperature

To a steel-bending


♪♪

Todd: look at that.
Perfect fit.

Fixing fit.
This blows air.

It will blow through
our duct work,

Up through the bottom
of the fire of the forge,

And it's gonna be
a blast furnace.

If I saw something
get made with that,

I'll do a double
back flip.

Let's light a fire
and do it.

-You -- are we ready?
-I'm ready.

-Are you ready?
-Yeah, man.

Do we put the shroud back on,
or just go right now?

-Let's go right now.
-Okay, okay, okay.

Now, that's a fire.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: finally, marty's
salvaged forge is ready to test.

When we pull it out,
we want to see red.

Are we maxed out on air?
Can we add more?

We're maxed out on air.

Okay.

Why isn't it red?

-I don't know.
-It's not working?

Maybe it needs
a little more heat.

Probably needs
a little more fuel.

So a little more coal.
You want to hold the rod?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I want to see red!

I'm not gonna panic
until I know

There's nothing left
to panic about.

Please.

Is that red enough?

The real test is gonna be
laying it across the anvil.

You're bending it.

-Oh, yeah.
-That's cool.

That's cool.

There's your loop.

That is sweet.

Yeah, that's
pretty amazing, buddy.

Narrator: the new forge
allows blacksmith todd

To stay on the homestead

And earn money for the family.

Todd: it's like a dream
come true to have a forge again.

This is my element.

This is where
I was meant to be.

The sky is the limit to what we
can do with what we have now.

♪♪

Narrator: straight ahead,
marty's forge is on the move.

This porter forge is going.

Boom.

Narrator: and matt's bear stand
is put to the test.

♪♪

Narrator: six days ago,

The raneys found a family
and their livestock

Battling against the bitter
canadian winter...

♪♪

Todd: I can't even get the water
home without it freezing.

Narrator: ...while living
in constant fear of attack

From north america's
most fearsome predator.

He's been known to k*ll
fully grown horses and cows.

Narrator:
now on the raney's last day,

Marty and todd
are installing the windows

And the door to the new barn

That will act as a workshop
for blacksmith todd,

A shelter for their
newborn livestock,

And a heated shop

To stop the homestead's
water from freezing.

Give it a tap, tap, taparoo.

-Done.
-Okay.

♪♪

Yeah, that's nice.

That will keep the wind out,

And the snow.

A place to work, a place to
keep me home with my family --

I cannot believe it.

Narrator: marty's got one
last bit of hot news for todd.

Every forge
in the world-ish

For hundreds of years

Had a fixed place.

Check this out.
While you weren't looking,

I did this.
This is on skids.

It's movable.

Okay. Did I
or did I not see you

Thawing out
that water cube right there

-With a propane torch?
-You sure did.

And how long -- it took a while.
It took about an hour, yeah.

Okay, watch this.

Ready?

This is on skids.
It's movable.

This port-a-forge
is going.

Boom.

Oh, that would just
thaw that out immediately.

Look at the elevation.

Yep.

It's a lot of heat.
It's going this way.

And it would be
a matter of minutes.

-Yep.
-Not hours.

-Right?
-Yeah.

Narrator: the port-a-forge
has one more use.

Correct me if I'm wrong,
but did those 10 pigs

End up being born
in the middle of the night

-In a howling blizzard?
-Yep, they sure did.

Okay, if that happens again,
you can have emergency heat

Into the farrowing pen
in a matter of minutes.

-It won't take long...
-Won't take long.

-...for heat to transfer inside.
-Mm-hmm.

[ Pig snorting ]

After I leave here,
and the canadian winter

Crashes down
on this homestead,

May the forge be with you.

♪♪

Narrator: on the other side
of the homestead,

Matt's bear stand is
finally ready to be tested.

There's a bear
sighting right there.

See it?

Nicki:
I see a really small carving.

Narrator: a week ago,

Mom nicki was putting her life
at risk every night

To try and protect
her livestock from bears.

Now the best shot
in the house, darienne,

Can use the bear stand

To keep the family
and the property safe --

If she can overcome
her fear of heights.

Matt: this is the moment
of truth, darienne.

How do you feel?

Nervous.

You can do this.

♪♪

-You okay?
-Yeah.

-You're sure?
-Yeah.

Marty:
can you do it?

All right.

Nice?

Oh, wow.

♪♪

Misty: well, aren't you
afraid of heights?

And now you're
gonna sh**t a g*n?

You guy-- I like how you guys
are really trying

To make this hard on her.

As if I wasn't
worried enough.

And if she can hit that,
matt's work is done.

Misty:
again, no pressure.

She's loaded.

This is it, you guys,
the moment of truth.

♪♪

♪♪

[ All cheering ]

Perfect shot!

Did I hit the bear?

Again? Hold up.
She's gonna go again.

-Okay!
-She's going again, everybody.

[ Chuckles ]

[ Metal pings ]

She got it!
[ All cheering ]

Good girl!

[ Laughs ]

Huh? Oh, yeah.

That was --
that was totally amazing.

This was fear, pressure...

Everything else,
and she just knocked that ball

Out of the park.

-And I am so proud of you.
-Don't cry.

-I am so proud of you.
-Don't make it weird.

[ Laughter ]

-It's not weird.
-Don't make it weird!

-I'm proud of you, girl.
-It's not weird. It's family.

No matter how big that bear is,



There's 120-pound girl
on this homestead

That can take that bear down,
no questions.

♪♪

We wouldn't have even
gotten this far

Without the support

And love of family
and friends.

And...

We include you guys
as family and friends now.

Like, we've went
through hell and back.

And...
[ Sniffles ]

♪♪

I-i love you guys.

And I don't usually cry.
This really sucks.

[ Laughing ] I have cried more
in the last couple weeks --

When I walked onto
this homestead, I met a lady,

And the look on her face
was stress.

So, I saw people crying.
I saw livestock dying.

And now I see a lady
with fire in their eyes.

She's re-inspired to succeed

On this homestead.

♪♪

♪♪

Darienne:
even though we haven't had
trouble with the grizzly bear...

I know that with this tower,
we'll be ready for him,

And I know when I'm not here,
my mom will be that much safer.

So this is the amazing
farrowing pen

That we built
while the raneys were here.

And it helped us

Have seven healthy piglets.

This is awesome.